chapter 13

III

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

 “That is so floccinaucinihilifilipication!”

Corrine really is not the most intelligent person I know. Oftentimes, she asks for the spelling of a certain word or multiplies and divides number with answer that’s way far off. I often teased her about it for I am quite good in numbers. Mathematics and Sciences is basically my thing. She is passionate about literature, though. She reads books a lot. She said she tries to meet her quota of at least one novel a month. She also recites poem every once in a while, or citing quotations from this and that so-called important or famous person that I haven’t even heard of. In discussion, she always has a way of making us think.

What? I stared at her for quite a moment. “Huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re smoking is such a floccinaucinihilifilipication.”

“Do you mean I’m great?” I gave her my best smile. “Or that I’m so cute you can’t get over me?”

“Worthless, I mean.”

I pouted. Someone told me that Corrine once told her how she thinks I’m cute when I’m making a face she’s labeled as the ‘sad-puppy-dog look’.  “Worthless…”

“You’re smoking is worthless.” She said empathically. “You’re not… well, you’re getting there.”

“I’ll have a motivation to stop if my girlfriend would tell me to stop.”

She looked up. “You have a girlfriend?”

“Are you jealous?” I teased.

She pinched me. “I’m curious. Someone actually liked you?”

“You really know how to hurt a guy, don’t you?” I laughed. “I don’t have a girlfriend, right now. But I like someone that I think is in-like with me too.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right.”

***

“You’re late.”

            “15 minutes, I know.”

            “And that supposed to make me less angry?”

            I rolled my eyes skyward. “I’m sorry.”

            “I figured that ‘sorry’ must be your favorite word.” She chuckled.

“It’s not that…” I followed her. “Are you hungry? Did you wait long? I didn’t mean to make you wait that long, it’s just that they left early and I wasn’t able to ask money from my mom so I had to get to the office first and ask for my allowance.”

She shook her head as she sighed. I can see the exasperation in her face. “Look, Nick…”

“You believe me, right? I may be a lot of things for you but you know I’m not a liar.”

“Yeah, well…”

“I’m sorry.”

“You said that already.” She curved her lips in somewhat to be a smile. “Go get yourself a chair and pick out something you like. We already ordered our food.”

“Linc’s here?” I felt disheartened. I somehow thought that this is a date.

“No,” She smiled. “I also invited Shane. She’s just in the restroom.”

Shane Crisanto is one of her students who have befriended her long before she’d met me. Corrine was like a big sister in their section since she doesn’t handle classes with them anymore. I have met Shane in some few occasions. My instinct never failed me before and I have a feeling that Corrine’s playing a little something for me. I don’t like where this is going. “Oh, good. The more the merrier.”

            That was the night that Corrine Chan broke my heart.

            Corrine played cupid between me and Shane. She was as obvious as the Mayon Volcano to any Bicolanos as to how much she’s pushing us together. At the beginning, I decided to play along but then, she called me her kid brother. I can never forget the sigh of relief that came out of her when I said that I also considers her my ‘ate’ and my best friend so far.

Where I got the strength to continue the charade that night is mystery to me.

***

[f ur blood cud save me,

i wud ask 4 a drop

f ur air cud save me,

i wud ask 4 breath

but

f ur tears cud save me…

then id rather die

than see u cry.]

[come on… dn’t u hav nthing orignal 2 say?] Oh, come on. Don’t you have anything original to say to me?

[wel, I thot ur n2 ‘twilight’,, m edward. wud u b my bella?] Well, I thought you’re into ‘Twilight’ craze. I’m being Edward. Would you be my ‘Bella”?

[belat!] More like Belat!

[haha. imishu] (Laughing). I missed you!

[ur no edward.. no jac0b eithr.. mor lyk a kapre] You are neither Edward nor Jacob. You are more like a kapre to me.

[lokl?!.tsk.tsk. .. wen wil i c u agen? i missed u so] A Local (a chuckle)?! When will I see you again? I missed you so much.

[m kinda bc,, bt il b around by thurs, nxt wik] I am a liitle busy but I’ll be around by Thursday, next week.

[dnt u miss me? =( ] Don’t you miss me? I’m sad.

[wel… i guess so] Well, I guess I miss you, too.

[haha! i knw u do.] (laughing) I know you do.